Electric conductor wire spacer and method of applying same



Nov. 18, 1958 A. T. FLOWER ELECTRIC CONDUCTOR WIRE SPACER AND METHOD OF APPLYING SAME Filed July 16, 1953 FIG 2 FIG.

FIG. 4

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ATTORNEY United States Patent ELECTRIC CONDUCTOR WIRE SPACER AND METHOD OF APPLYING SAME Archibald T. Flower, Philadelphia, Pa.

Application July 16, 1953, Serial No. 368,314

1 Claim. (Cl. 174-146) This invention relates to spacers for electric conductor wires and is primarily adapted for spacing or spreading bare wires to hold the wires in spaced apart relation.

It is an object of the invention to provide a strip of spring plastic material having transverse slots in spaced apart relation to receive the conductor Wires and means for securing the wires in the slots.

A further object of the invention resides in providing an elongated strip of spring material having transverse slots in spaced apart relation adapted to receive conductor wires when the strip is bent transversely whereby locking pins may be inserted between the wires and concave face of the strip.

Another object of the invention resides in providing a wire spacer which is simple and durable in construction, reliable and efficient in use and inexpensive to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same.

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of the wire spacer.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the spacer, partly in section,

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1, and,

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view showing a modified form of locking pin.

Referring to the drawing wherein for the purpose of illustration a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown, the numeral 5 denotes an elongated strip of spring plastic material having at spaced apart intervals a series of slots 6 adapted to receive therein conductor wires 7 when the strip is bent or compressed along its longitudinal axis. The strip is preferably bent into V-shape in cross section, as shown in Fig. 3, although it may be bent U-shape or any other shape to form a bight posi tion which is intersected by the slots. The expansion of the strip normally ends to move the conductor wires outwardly from the slots and in order to hold the wires in the slots, locking pins 8 are inserted between the conductor wires and inner face of the strip. The pins are inserted when the strip is under compression and after insertion the pressure on the strip is released so that it expands and forces the conductor wires into tight binding engagement with the locking pins.

While the strip 5 is preferably made of non-conducting plastic material for use with bare conductor wires it may be made of metal or other conducting material for use with insulated conduc or w r u h n th 2,861,122 iatented Nov. 18, 1958 insulated wires it is desirable to insert wear resisting insulating material between the wires and the strip.

The locking pins 8 have one end bent at an obtuse angle or curved to provide an outwardly extending portion 9. The pins may be preformed or a coil of wire may be used and after the end of the wire is inserted in looking position the end may be cut off. As shown in Fig. 4 the end of the pin which engages the conductor wire may be formed with corrugations 11 to grip the wire to insure a positive locking action between the wire and pin and prevent accidental removal of the pin.

In use, the strip 5 is compressed to bend the strip along its longitudinal axis so the slots 6 intersect the bight portion of the bent strip. While compressed the con ductor wires 7 are inserted in the slots in a direction longitudinally of the slots and locking pins 8 are inserted between the inner face of the bight portion of the strip and the conductor wires. After inserting the locking pins the pressure on the strip is released allowing it to expand and thereby exert a pressure on the conductor wires to securely hold the pins in locking position. The strip 5 is preferably made of plastic or other suitable non-conducting material but it may be made of spring metal or other conducting material if the conductor wires are provided with suitable insulation, or insulation spacing material is inserted between the Wires and strip. To insure a positive locking action between the pins 8 and conductor wires the pins may be formed with corrugations 11 to engage and grip the wires.

The form of the invention herein shown and described is a preferred example of the same and changes in shape, size and arrangement of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the subjoined claim.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

The method of assembling conductor wires and a spreader formed of a strip of spring insulating material having a series of slots extending across the longitudinal axis of said strip comprising the steps of compressing the longitudinal sides of the strip to bend the strip along its medial longitudinal axis whereby said slots present openings for the reception of said wires, inserting the conductor wires in said slots of the bent strip, inserting retainer means between the bent portion of the compressed strip andthe wires, and then allowing said strip to expand to press the wires into tight engagement with the retainer means and to force said retainer means into tight engagement with said strip.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

